Chocolate Bundt Cake

Holey Moley is this an amazing cake! I love my great grandmothers (depression era) chocolate cake recipe but this brings it to a whole new level. It was up against some very biased family opinions and handily won. And easy (like hers)! Wow. Thanks ♥️

I make this frequently as a layer cake, usually with a chocolate ganache. Fabulous cake.

Easy recipe with delicious results! I cut the cake in half to add a layer of raspberry puree spread and drizzled on chocolate glaze. The results were holiday cheer.

Super easy , simple measurements and very yummy - made twice second time skipped the dusting inside the pan - way better- did not stick

This was really good. ( reduced the sugar to 1 1/2C and it was plenty sweet. I also used yogurt in place of half the milk, as I did not have buttermilk. I substituted vinegar and extra baking soda for the baking powder, as I am allergic to baking powder. With all those substitutions, this was an amazing cake. Oh, I baked it in an 11x7" pan as I do not have a bundt pan. It was amazing. We added in walnuts, dark sweet dried cherries and coconut. Will put this in our rotation. I love a cake that I can make so many changes to, and it still comes out perfect. Thank you.

Wow! This cake is incredible. Recipe and instructions were spot on. So easy to make and AMAZINGLY moist and delicious. I will definitely be making this again and soon. My guests and my family loved it. Yum!

Made this for my birthday and it was wonderful. I believe the baking time is off as it didn't take 45 minutes to bake but rather 65 minutes. It is a very moist cake and while I was nervous that the batter was too thin, it baked up beautifully. Reminds me of the cake my mother always made with a 'cooked' frosting. I made it as a bundt cake but I will try it as a layer cake and make my mother's cooked frosting...should be great!

As a child, I had a recipe for a chocolate cake similar to this from my grandmother; but it called for Hershey's cocoa (which is acidic) instead of Dutch cocoa (which has been neutralized) and left out the coffee, replacing the volume of liquid with all sour milk.

I recall now that the 4-min. mixing time is essential.

As others have mentioned this recipe is from the back of a Hershey cocoa from more than 10 years ago & is available on Hershey's website as the Black Magic Cake. There you can find their tip on making sour milk, the various pan sizes you can use & the corresponding timing in the oven, including how to use this recipe for cupcakes (it's in the answer section). This recipe is versatile but it was developed for Hershey's natural cocoa so if using "dutched" cocoa, you'd have to double the baking powder & cut the baking soda in half to keep the center from sinking, when making a layer cake.

First time making the recipe! My little one used the potty for the first time and it was cause for celebration. I used a combination of black cocoa and dutch process as well as coconut oil instead of a veg oil. I baked cupcakes instead of a bundt and after 26 minutes, they were perfect! We added a couple of chocolate chips to the tops before baking, but after tasting I don't think it was necessary.

I love chocolate cake and this recipe was so easy, I will be adding it to my rolodex. Thank you, Kelsey!

First class Rx that I learned as a assistant Pastry chef at an Inn in Pennsylvania thirty years ago...always came out prefect. We made larger batches of layer cake versions to freeze for future birthday cakes at the Inn. It can also be adapted to cupcakes.

This cake comes together quickly, but It is decadent. It has excellent flavour, a moist and tender crumb, without anything that isn’t necessary. It is my new go to chocolate cake!

I had this cake as a child, and just loved it! This cake is very rich chocolate, easy to make and you might want to eat the whole cake!!! If you love chocolate, then you will fall in love with this!!!

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Been making this exact recipe for over decade and it never misses. It’s perfect. I don’t dust with powdered sugar, opt for hand whipped heavy cream instead.

Big hit. Easy! Stays moist for days. Needs no frosting. Is just perfect as is. Used buttermilk and espresso from an instant powder.

Very good, moist chocolate cake. The coffee makes a huge flavor boost. Powdered sugar sprinkled on top soon disappears.

Delicious. Put slightly less sugar (1 1/2 cup) + used a combo of cocoas, including black cocoa for a deeply rich colour. Tasted divine with some cream on the side!

Great cake. This is EXACTLY the same recipe as the one Ina Garten made famous called Beatty’s chocolate cake. Not Hershey’s cake recipe. I’ve made it in two 9” round pans and as cupcakes. They are ok as cupcakes only bc they stick to the papers so much.
As a bundt or layered cake it is much better the next day. I recommend baking one day in advance. The chocolate flavor really develops over time. Also to intensify the chocolate flavor you can bloom your cocoa in the hot coffee (I use water bc I don’t want to caffeinated my kids). You just whisk cocoa and some of the sugar in the hot liquid and add it w the eggs.

Check +++. I made this for my husband’s birthday and it was a hit - moist, perfect crumb and intense chocolate flavor. A few recommendations: be sure to mix for the entire four minutes, an extra two tablespoons of flour helped with the consistency, I like to substitute 1/4c Greek yogurt in the sour milk mixture (1/4 yogurt, 3/4 milk, 1TBS Apple Cider Vinegar) + don’t doubt the old school “clean cake tester” trick: it’s a moist cake but if you don’t bake until the tester comes out clean it’s more likely to collapse.

This is a very old recipe off the back of a Hershey’s cocoa can. The name of the recipe is Black Magic Cake. The most important step is to time the mixing and mix the full four minutes. The cake will fall if it is not mixed enough. This has been my families birthday cake for at least forty years...maybe longer. My memory doesn’t reach back to the first time I made it. I only put in a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and use 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. I don’t care for the taste of too much leavening in any baking product.

I don’t want to be “that guy” but has anyone tried this with Splenda? I can’t have more than 15g-20g of sugar at a time. If I could sub the sugar, this would be an awesome alternative to the usual cake for me!
I won’t rate the recipe if I make it differently from how it’s written :)

Amazing recipe and my favourite chocolate cake ... ever! I added a 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon for a little heat and spice. Thank you Kelsey

This is a very forgiving recipe. I did (almost) everything wrong and it still worked! What did I do wrong, you ask? Well, here goes. I stirred in 2 tsp apple cider vinegar to the milk without subtracting milk and didn't wait for the milk to sour. I added a 2-3 tablespoons of flour to make up for the extra liquid. I also didn't wait for the coffee to cool to a sip-able temperature. The coffee was a couple of spoons of ground coffee boiled until it looked dark enough then strained. Timing? Who knows. I also didn't keep track of how long I beat the batter. If it was 4 minutes, it was dumb luck. And, finally, instead of butter and cocoa powder, I used a generous spray of PAM in a non-stick bundt pan. It did not overflow. I baked it precisely 45 minutes and let it cool for 10 more. It deflated to slightly over the edge of the pan. Despite the riffs, it popped right out of the pan and it is gorgeous. I'm a home baker. This is a great recipe.

Ugh, mine was a DISASTER. Similar to the other reviewer I had a cakesplosion in my oven (but I was not prepared with the cookie sheet underneath to catch drippings - cue fire alarm!) I will try it again though and probably reduce the baking soda.

Has anyone made this using a nondairy substitute for the sour milk?

It all worked beautifully, but I was concerned about the amount of liquid contents as compared with the flour was excessive. Sure enough it rose fantastically (no high elevation here) and it took a few more minutes in oven to be sure it was all done. However, it sank badly in cookling because it just was way too much moisture in body content. ...2 cups of liquid to 1 -3/4 cups of flour and 3/4 c. cocoa was too liquid for when I was beating it.

this recipe was like a roller coaster for me. i followed it, even sifted ingredients and dusted greased nordic ware pan with cocoa. i also only filled the pan 2/3 full, a little shy of the total batter i had once i'd mixed wet and dry ingredients together. 20 min into the baking time, i see it is overflowing the top of the bundt pan and spilling out onto the cookie sheet i had luckily placed it on. i figured the whole thing was a write-off. i kept baking it, and tried to scrape off the overflow while it was in the oven. i ended up having to bake 10-12 min beyond the 45 min suggested total time. at that point, i didn't know what its final fate would be but i took it out of the oven and left it to cool. i almost never have baking disasters; i mean, once in 5-6 years something goes wrong, but i can literally count on one hand the number of times, i have had recipes flop. an hour and a half after i took the pan out, the cake had sunk back down into the bundt pan and i could see the hollow part in the middle, which was completely obscured while baking. i steeled myself and left it to cool longer. when i finally turned the cake out, i was shocked that it looked ok and hadn't stuck at all to the inside of the very ornate nordic ware bundt pan. a light coating of powdered sugar and i think it's good to go but my god! i swear that overflow episode had my heart in my mouth. i have no idea what happened nor do i know i want to figure it out: the fluctuation between the cake at its tallest and then when it shrunk had me worried but on the plate, it looks pretty amazing! i will try this again, and be forewarned the next time.

I’ve made this twice so far and it has been well received each time so thanks! Question: Why do I have to sift the dry ingredients. (And get the sifter dirty) when I’m then going to put it in the mixer and mix it for 4 minutes? Why bother?

Also, I had to buy a silicone bundt mold cause my neighbor was selling PamperedChef stuff. Very annoying to find that the paper in the box says to only bake at 325°F even though online it says you can use the mold to 450°F! What’s the point!? So I am baking for 70 minutes or so at 325° and getting a good result.

Just made mini bundlets with this recipe, and wow! The crumb is tender and tasty. I agree with other bakers who caution against over baking. I baked a pan of 12 for 13 minutes and they were perfect. Used Valrhona cocoa powder because it was what I had in the pantry.

My first time making bundt cake was over this weekend for a dinner party. This recipe was INCREDIBLE! The cake is fudgy, decadent, and super moist but somehow light. I’ll make this cake for years to come, fabulous recipe.

Has anyone made this as a layer cake with frosting? Is it enough batter for 2 9" rounds?

I've made this cake multiple times and it's always turned out great! I plan on making this cake this weekend but I don't have a hand mixer with me at this time. How long should I hand whisk the cake batter?

Hello there... is this cake possible to make it like cup cake? or shall i change any ingredients or measurement? I need to make a batch and this cake is super good..

Not too sweet, super moist, total winner!

Follow the recipe, every step, measurement, ingredient and you will not be disappointed. This cake is delicious. Hershey's cocoa powder for the win!

I was super excited to try this recipe. I was loving how easy it was to put together, but the cake ended up sticking to the burnt pan and the flavor was not as chocolate-intense as I had hoped. I followed the recipe to a T - the only thing I did different was that I did not have buttermilk, so I made my own but with skim milk... also I may have beat the batter for five minutes instead of four. Could those two factors Have made that big of a difference? I followed the instructions and tried to unmold on a cooling rack as soon as the cake was ready and out of the oven. Should I have waited a little more to unmold? Perhaps I should try with a better quality Bundt pan ?

Buttermilk, sour milk, soured milk i.e. milk that has had splash of lemon or vinegar added.....all supposedly work the same in adding acidity to the rx that works with the Baking soda as a leavener. I have made this with plain whole milk and the remaining ingredients; it works because the coffee also is acidic. However, I like the buttermilk rx results the best

Can someone please tell me what sour milk is? Buttermilk? I've been cooking/baking a very long time and never seen this listed as an ingredient.

Wondering if leaving the eggs out would affect the recipe? Would really like to make it but allergic to eggs.

This is a crowd pleaser. Thank you for this tasty recipe. I used buttermilk instead of sour milk and agree with the other comments about dusting the heavily buttered pan with cocoa. That way it will unmold just fine.

How many servings do you get from this cake?

Its been 7 years since I started baking this and it is still as gorgeous as the first time! Everyone who's had it loves me a little more :P
Thank you!

Can I use self rising flour?

I made this cake for the first time yesterday for an event this afternoon. It is a good thing I had read in the comments that the batter was very liquid as I was a little worried. I should not have worried - the cake was wonderful and I had no problems with sticking after using butter and cocoa to prepare the bundt pan.

I've been making this cake for years - Hershey's black magic cake is it's name. As far as I can see the ingredients are copied other than 1/2 tsp salt omitted.

I'm confused about the 'freshly brewed' coffee. Does that mean I'm adding it hot, or should it be room temperature?

I've made this cake countless times, no less than 30-40 times without exaggeration. Today for the first time, someone told me she didn't find it very chocolaty and had a neutral taste! I was shocked! I'm sure many of you would defend this cake to the death like I would!

Can I substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil?

What size bundt tin?

Thoughts on using a dark beer instead of coffee?

No need to add more flour; it is a runny batter and be careful not to overbake....it should be just firm to the touch and as one of my mentors always said to me "chocolate cakes are done when the tester comes out with a couple crumbs on it but not wet"

This looks delicious but the batter seems runny, is this what it should be? Its in the oven for a Birthday tonite, hope it turns out like all are raving about....

My mom and her best friend made a chocolate bundt cake with mini chocolate chips when I was little girl. When I recently asked for the recipe, she said, "Oh, that was a box cake mix." Noooo! This recipe is it! This is exactly as I remember it! It was so easy and soooo good!

Absolutely delicious ... served this for Boxing Day dessert and everyone of all ages loved it! I made it 3 days ahead of time, wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Took it out the morning of the dinner and dusted it with the icing sugar right before serving. Beautiful flavour/texture and very moist. This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made and I love that it has no frosting. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I had to bake it longer as my pan has a smaller diameter and the cake was much deeper. Thanks for such a great recipe! Happy New Year!

I've made this a number of times, most recently for a neighborhood holiday party with chantilly cream on the side. Very well received. Some day I will perfect getting it out of the bundt pan in one piece.

This was delicious - very chocolatey and moist. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except for substituting regular cocoa for Dutch process, and olive oil instead of vegetable.
The only thing is the cake had that tunneling you get when overmixing. (I did the four minutes with a hand mixer.) Next time I'll try mixing only "until no streaks of dry ingredients remain" as in standard cake recipes. Don't get me wrong - we are enjoying it all the same!

Just out of curiosity - has anyone tried using stout beer instead of coffee? Maybe a coffee stout? I wonder how that would turn out...

Without weight (gram) measurements, this cake CANNOT be duplicated!

Can this be converted to a gluten free style for those who are not celiac but rather gluten intolerant?

You can get Duthch process cocoa from Penzeys. I have used that but I have also used Hershey's Special Dark and both worked fine.

Can you use regular unsweetened cocoa powder (like nestle's) or does it have to be Dutch processed? I cannot seem to find Dutch process anywhere in the stores!! Where do you people buy your Dutch proceeded cocoa powder from? Thanks :).

What is "sour milk"?

Can I use 100% cacao chocolate for this recipe?

I have made this many times to rave reviews but I add a healthy 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of ground chipotle pepper boosting the cake to a whole new level.

I served this at a dinner party last night. Everyone loved it! I sprinkled powdered sugar on top and scattered pomegranate seeds around a white plate. It was absolutely perfect! Not too sweet, very moist and so elegant. also very easy and foolproof. I made no changes to the recipe.

Would this cake freeze well?

All I have is Black Onyx Cocoa powder (The one from Savory Spice Shop)....I have made brownies with it before (adding a little oil in to compensate for the dryness)...would this work in this cake??

So I've made this cake multiple times because me & my family think it's basically the perfect cake. Last time I made it after it was in the oven just long enough to start setting I realized I had left out the oil! Assuming it would be ruined I continued baking it, but made a second one(with oil!!). After returning home from the family gathering where we enjoyed the second one I made(with oil) we decided to test out the one missing oil. It was perfect!!!! Couldn't tell the difference between the two at all!!! Perfectly moist & stayed that way for a week as we nibbled on it! Not suggesting anyone do this, but it's worth a try if you're experimenting! Just had to let everyone know this cake really is impossible to ruin.

Can anyone suggest the proper size bundt pan to use?

How long did you leave it in the bundt pan before turning out on the rack?

Also 26 cupcakes at 48 gr each or one 9" cake!

Can anyone give me an idea on the number of servings?? Thanks!!

I made this with sour cream and ghirardelli cocoa powder. I also threw a little nutmeg in my coffee, because that's how I make my coffee. It was delicious. I"m thinking of trying it with a peanut butter glaze next time... Can't wait.

Thank you!

Is the batter supposed to be very loose/liquidy prior to baking?

I too have made this cake several times- sometimes I don't have all the right ingredients I subbed them with something different: yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream for sour milk (actually still had no idea what sour milk is); 1/2 whole wheat flour for AP; coconut oil etc. It still worked EVERY TIME! What a magic recipe and it has been my favorite, ever!

This is my go to chocolate cake! I have made this several times and it is always a crowd pleaser. It is so moist and stays that way for days (if it lasts that long!). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.

I have made it a least a half dozen times in the last 6month. It is my new go too cake and I share the recipe with everyone. Fabulously delicious!!

Mine is in the oven now! Has anyone made this without the cocoa powder? If so, how did it turn out? Any other recipe alternations due to removing the cocoa powder?

Really, really good. Turned out perfectly. Used 1/2 cup brown, 1.5 white sugar, and added dollop of prune jam, dollop of red currant jelly. Mixed greek yoghurt with milk to make "sour milk". I think it would also be good with a chunky cherry jam, plus cherries thrown in batter. Or orange marmalade with added zest

Oh my gosh. Perfect chocolate cake recipe!!!! Perfectly moist and flavorful with just the powdered sugar on top or to be extra indulgent or for a kids birthday add a yummy drizzle. As others said, you can't taste the coffee at all, so don't hesitate on using it if you're not a coffee drinker. This will absolutely be my go to chocolate cake. Soooo easy AND I had everything on hand to follow the recipe exactly.

Baking this cake for the 4th time and it never looks the same. It's a little to much for my bun cake so it didn't bake in 45 min. I had to remake it :( now I'm baking it for an hour and I hope it works. Btw, previous times I used yoghurt sour cream - worked perfectly :)

I don't drink coffee but I've always had good luck subbing brewed black tea in recipes--seems to add depth in the same way coffee does.

This is the same recipe as my Mother's "Hurry up chocolate cake". She always used buttermilk and less sugar.(high altitude) This was always my birthday cake growing up. This is still my go to chocolate cake recipe.

After consulting with a baker friend about the best damn cocoa available I've ended up with Barry extra-brut AND Guittard Jersey. (I might like Barry better, but it's damn close) Both produced exceptional results and a surplus of cake in the house. After feeding the office, the neighbors and friends, I made a third with chili-laced cocoa and substituting a shot of Highland Park scotch for an equal measure of the coffee. Fantastic. Might try more scotch next time or a scotch laced glaze. Great recipe.

Souring milk adds acidity and is very easy to do - add 1TBS of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup milk and let stand for 5 minutes. This recipe is so good and the addition of the Hershey Glaze was perfect.

Oh, addition to my comment... olive oil instead of veg oil.

Incredibly moist and delicious. My modifications: 1 3/4 cup sugar instead of two, 1.5 tsp each of baking powder & soda, Unsweetened Hershey Cocoa, and buttermilk. The last 10 min of baking, I sprinkle the top with shredded coconut, slivered almonds, and chocolate chips. Used two round cake pans to make two cakes with the one recipe. Good the day of and for days after!

Yes, the coffee enhances the chocolate. We did not taste the coffee and used espresso.

Considering making this for a holiday dessert - I've heard concerns about the addition of coffee from haters in the family, but in my experience there is usually no coffee flavor, just amped up chocolate. Can anyone who has made it confirm?

Oh sorry meatballs & milkshakes about the disappointment with yogurt (I am one of the people who has recommended substituting in yogurt). I actually made this on Saturday with yogurt, and it turned out great (and about a week before that, too). Perhaps it was another ingredient, or a combination of the yogurt with other ingredients? Maybe different types of yogurt impact on the way it turns out. In case it helps, I use organic natural yogurt. I also use coconut oil for the vege oil, swapped the amounts of baking powder and baking soda as others have recommended (i.e. 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda). I also sometimes use a strong plunger coffee, or an iced coffee essence which we make ourselves and keep in the fridge based on what's on hand, and use a mix of raw and rapadura sugars for the sugar. Hopefully some of this info helps.

Sorry this didn't work with yogurt. I have been using this Rx for over 20 years professionally as well as at home but I use plain milk or buttermilk; it always, always turns out well. The acid from the coffee is enough to make the baking soda work but I do not know why yogurt would mess it up.

Wow, not sure what went wrong but I tried to use the yogurt substitution for the buttermilk that people have referenced in the comments and maybe that was the problem. It's an eggy disaster that just doesn't hold together. I toothpick came out clean so I assumed it was done after 45 minutes of baking. Unfortunately the whole thing will be going in the trash. I'm sure I must have done something wrong since so many comments rave, but I wouldn't try the yogurt substitution again.

I meant to include an answer to the questions regarding round pans. Yes, given that this is the Hershey recipe it is designed for one 12-cup fluted tube pan, two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Also, the Hershey's Chocolate Glaze is fantastic: Heat 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan to full boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add 1 cup Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Stir with whisk until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool to desired consistency, then use immediately. About 2/3 cup glaze.

As mentioned in the posts, this is the Hershey's Black Magic Cake recipe, which is an adaptation of the Hershey Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe (slight change to leavening and the coffee). It is a great recipe. Many of us have made it dozens of times with consistently great results. Surprised though that it was allows to compete and more surprised that it won. As great as it is, hard to believe it won! With that said, I am getting hungry for Black Magic Cake! :)

I am confused. Is it a bundt pan or angel cake pan?

This is a delicious recipe I will make over and over - had the ingredients in my pantry already and was super easy to make. I was worried that I didn't sift the cocoa and there were some lumps but the cake came out moist and very tasty. Thanks!

I've made this many times and I always get a lot of compliments! Sure beats the pants off of boxed mix!

I didn't have sour milk (and I'm not exactly sure what that is to be honest) so I substituted it with 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. This cake is unbelievable!! I am officially banned from baking it ever again by my husband and by my coworkers. Nobody could stop eating it and as a consequence, everybody was mad at me… Everything has a price, I suppose...

After going thru a lot of chocolate cake recipe I found yours the best chocolate cake! The cake turned out very moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing. I really love this.

I made the cake for my 3 year old nephew's birthday. It was a big hit! Only thing I did different is reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup and it was just the right level of sweetness! I am not a coffee drinker, so I made a cup of Starbucks instant. French Roast coffee. I added blue sprinkles, and used a slightly smaller more decorative bunds cake pan. The cake doesn't quite fill a normal sized bunds cake pan. You can use the normal size but the cake will be more shallow than with normal bunds cakes. All in all, I highly recommend this cake! I served with whipped cream. Delish!

Just mixed this up. Followed recipe to the T. Very concerned about how liquids the 'cake' batter is. Tell me it's fine cuz it's for my husband's birthday dinner tonight!

Do you add the coffee while it's still hot or should you let it cool down first?

the recipe calls for sour milk.......is buttermilk what they are asking for?

Freakin amazeballs!

Whipped this puppy up yesterday afternoon. Followed recipe to the letter and it was a "piece of cake!" (pun intended, to make. Stirred up a bit of ganache to drizzle over it, although it wasn't necessary at all. Ganache is just fun and easy to do and drizzling it over cake is kind of Zen therapy after a demanding work day. Called the neighbors over later in the evening and we definitely enjoyed every crumb with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream AND a glass of milk! So moist and yummy. Even better today!

I'm a newcomer to this site and this is the first recipe I've tried, and I swear, it is without exaggeration my favorite thing I've ever made in 20 years of cooking. It fires on all cylinders - chocolately, but not too rich; perfectly moist; travels well; needs no embellishment at all (although a little bit of whipped cream won't hurt).

My toddler has gotten a taste for dessert after trying this ("zert, mama, zero"). I've brought this on myself...

I made this cake for a friend's luncheon. It was OK but not great. BUT tasting it a couple of days later it was delicious and moist. Seems like the cocoa needed a few days to develop it's flavor. Now this will be a couple-of-days-make-ahead cake.

Hi Lorelu! I've used coconut oil one time (ran out of veg. oil) but everyone gave it a big thumbs down :-( . Personally, I don't like the taste of coconut with my heavenly chocolate. As I've commented, this recipe is nothing but… divine.

In this Rx oil is the best choice; oil gives a better and moister crumb. Butter would not improve the flavor and possibly could ruin the outcome. The Rx also freezes well. We make up 5 or 6 rounds at a time, wrap when cooled and then freeze them. They can be thawed, split in half and frosted with a good buttercream to make an excellent Birthday cake.

has anyone replaces the vegetable oil?

what is sour milk? can i make it? or can i just use regular milk?

I made this cake this weekend and it was a huge hit. It stayed moist for the entire weekend. I served it with whipped cream. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the contest win!

Ummmm, Kathy,,,meowwwwww, it is what it is, Grouchy aye???? Usually when I don't get the jest of something,,,,I GOOGLE :)

@Kathy Cooks. I'm sorry, my husband is on hospice and I didn't have time to read the previous 300 comments. But I want to tell you that I have absolutely no problem with someone downloading a good cake recipe. I'm just surprised that I, who rarely bakes cakes, knew what it was right away, and Kelsey and Food 52 didn't. Anything is possible I suppose, but I still feel that such a decades-old recipe should not be given first prize for best chocolate cake only because it was downloaded. BTW, I did not enter this or any other contest, so this is not sour grapes. I just don't think it's fair. At least the other sites explain how to sour milk, and the different pan sizes one can use.

@BakingTara: If you had read the previous reviews you would have seen that there was no intention to defraud. I for one am happy that Kelsey downloaded this cake as it has given me, as well as my guests, many hours of pleasure.

Can't believe this was awarded first prize for chocolate cake -- not because it is not a good cake, but this is a direct word for word copy of an established cake, known as a Black Magic Cake. I googled Black Magic Cake in quotes and got 134,000 responses. It is on Allrecipes, on the Hershey's website, etc. This cake has been around for decades. This direct copy should not be award a prize for best chocolate cake. At least, that's how I feel.

Yummmm...I have made this cake twice now for 2 different parties and each time a hit! So moist which allowed for me to cut slices for a platter and no worry of it drying out. For the 2nd time, I did use a strong espresso which made it is tad richer and I love an espresso -chocolate mix. I am thinking the the 3rd time I will include a bowl of fresh whipped creme fraiche on the side and surround the cake with fresh strawberries as we are getting to the season. This is a keeper!

Has anyone tried making this into cake rounds? I'm curious to find out how many rounds and what size this batch would yield.

This was simply divine on its own, definitely a keeper! Even the kids didn't mind it without any frosting. I've made this several times. Thank you for sharing.

Holy crap was this cake good! This recipe made me look like a superstar on Valentine's Day. I made it exactly as the recipe describes and served it with marshmallow whipped cream, raspberries and blackberries and decorated it with a few flowers (carnations). I wish I could post a picture of it that I took! It had a great depth of chocolate flavor without being too sweet (the marshmallow whipped cream added additional sweetness if one wanted it). And, as other's have said, it's a really light cake on the palate. Really, really good - thank you so much for this recipe.

Just made the cake for our Valentine's Day dinner...it looks wonderful and I'm sure it will taste even better. Since I seem to have a cream cheese surplus, I plan to make a cream cheese glaze for it. On another note, after cruising through all of the comments posted about this recipe from day one...Kelsey, I cannot believe the amount of guff you have had to endure about this recipe. Thank you for sharing it.

I made this cake the day before serving it. It was so moist that it absorbed all the powdered sugar I dusted it with. I dusted it again right before my guests arrived and it soaked up the sugar a second time. So I had to dust it a third time right before serving. It was a big hit and it kept very well.

Recipe known in the restaurant world as "Black Magic" cake. It's great because it is hard to mess up. BTW, you can use un-soured milk with same results.

What a delicious and intensely chocolate cake! Super moist and not at all heavy/dense in texture which is exactly what I was after. I made this in smaller mini springform tins and they took about 30-35 mins to cook (just in case that's useful for anyone).

Do you cool the coffee to room temperature first or add it piping hot straight from the coffee maker (in my case espresso maker)?

This cake is excellent. Made it with regular cocoa powder and it was a hit. Great that it doesn't require any special ingredients.

Is there a way to substitute regular cocoa powder for the dutch process? I am 0 for 4 at all of the grocery stores I've tried and I don't have time to make it out to a nice spice market. Can I adjust the amount of baking soda and baking powder to account for the different acidity levels?

High Altitude Help!
I live in the Bay Area, and want to make this for a dinner party I'm going to while up in Tahoe. Do I have to make any changes to account for the high altitude?

This came out so moist and delicious! I loved how easy this was to prepare and no fuss. Definitely a winning recipe :) I may try a chocolate genache next time but it's still very tasty on its own. Thank you for the recipe!

Very tasty, moist and easy cake. I made two yesterday and gave one away. I love that I had everything in my panty and did not have to go to the store for some odd ingredient . Simple and Tasty!

I made this for a small dinner party last Friday evening and it is delicious. I served it with talenti gelato Sea Salt Caramel but I actually preferred it alone. It is light, not too sweet and just a perfect chocolate cake. Mine came out looking just like the photo. Thank you Kelsey!!

I cannot wait to make this cake! I'd really like to add a coconut flavor to it. Is it best to use coconut oil, coconut sugar or add some coconut flakes to the batter? Not sure if any of these ingredients would impact how moist the cake should be.

Can I use olive oil instead of veg oil? I don't really feel like leaving the house today...

No one in the comments mentioned about the secret being using butter instead of vegtable oil and yet the veg oil is still in the recipe. Is it OK to use butter melted instead of the oil?

I finally got around to making this cake and it is wonderful. I used the new dark Hershey's cocoa and we were happy with the chocolate flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!

I made this with few on-hand substitutions: buttermilk and coconut sugar. 3 shots of Stumptown espresso. Even better the next day!

I made this cake last Sunday using Stumptown bottled Cold Brew and coconut oil. I baked it in a 9-inch square glass dish which worked fine but is obviously not as pretty as a bundt. I do not generally bake chocolate cakes, but this cake is positively divine. I brought some in to the research lab that I work at, and two of my colleagues said it was the best chocolate cake they have ever had. I just made a second half-size cake today.

Instead of using coffee, we melted 2 handfuls of chocolate chips with 3/4 cup milk, then added it to the rest of the wet ingredients. The cake is still baking, but the batter was delicious!

IS there a non-dairy substitute for the sour milk?

You're very welcome CZ!

Thank you very much, Ken!

CZ, add milk to 1 TBS. vinegar to make 1 cup. This will give you sour milk. Works great!

What can I substitute the sour milk for? Will milk with vinegar work?
Thanks!

well I did use a food processor and it worked very well indeed but next time I am going to use less sodi bic I could smell and taste it but cake just great - very moist, cut well and no crumbling

kids & adults love it! thx for the recipe

Delicious - made it almost exactly as-is for my mother-in-law's birthday (as she is not a big fan of frosted cakes), but decreased sugar by 1/2 cup. Wonderful crumb, rich flavor, light texture. And as it isn't super high in the kcals, we were not too disappointed to have held on to the leftovers. ;-)

My baker friend tried this recipe and loved it! She drizzled a bitter chocolate ganache over it and topped with a little whipped cream. So moist and delicious!

thank you for all your comments! i can't wait to try this cake out this weekend! will try the applesauce sub for the vegetable oil and yes, a tiny bit of coffee and some warm water combo sound good too. thanks again!

I substituted 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce for the 1/2 cup vegetable oil....tasted great

Karen, coffee enhances the richest of the chocolate flavor. Just use decaf instead. It won't change the taste of the cake.

This cake is crazy addicting, lol. This is my devils food cake of choice recipe, I have never a person who did not love this cake :) I make a coca cola glaze for it, YUM

Made this the other day and it is an delicious cake. I used 1/4 cup dutch process chocolate and 1/2 Hershey cocoa powder because I thought it make be too strong. Next time I will use all dutch process. My son has had a slice everynight and loves it.

Followed the directions exactly, baked for only 40 min. Came out exactly like the photo. Moist & delicious. Will make again.

hello there - my question is: what can i substitute for the coffee? would like to make this more kid-friendly..thank you!

This cake is perfect! I made it a few days ago and my family gobbled it all up! Tastes even better a day after baking, especially since all the ingredients have married happily in the cake :) Alright, am heading to my kitchen to make another batch....

This is a lovely recipe! I made some minor alterations based on what I had in the kitchen, and the comments below. Worked a treat.

2 tsp baking powder & 1 tsp baking soda, as per other comments
1 cup yogurt in place of sour milk /buttermilk
1/2 cup coconut oil (brought to liquid) in place of vegetable oil
I also used rapadura sugar, and white, but wholewheat flour. And I think I used just the standard cocoa sugar (not sure as it was from a bulk bin and there is no labeling).

Hope these notes are helpful to others - I will definitely be making this recipe again!

I only have an 8" cake pan with me right now, can I make this recipe and should I half the ingredients? Do I need to adjust baking time at all?

can I use a food processor

Have made this cake many times, it's also known as Black Magic Cake

Are the baking powder and baking soda measurements correct as listed in the above recipe?

Can canola / sunflower seed oil be used as vege oil?

I had this cake last night and it was perfection. Hostess served it with caramel sauce and a touch of ganache over the top of the slice.

This cake should be called gone-in-an-instant cake. I've made it a few times. So easy, so good. I also used regular cocoa powder and it was just as delicious.

No problem Nanw, just trying to be helpful. I'm glad your 2nd cake was even better ;)

im sorry if i came off snooty! your comments make recipes for me better

oh it was very helpful! it made the cake (2nd time) SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

Zarean, you may also add white vinegar(what I use)or lemon juice to obtain sour milk. Yeah, I never buy buttermilk so I just add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to 1 cup measure and then add the rest milk.

hi there to ILuv2Cook! please note you wrote the same thing thrice! just a heads up.

sour milk can just be butter milk

what is sour milk? i am not sure it is available in our country

Folks need to take note that the recipe should be 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, as Dymnyno has stated in her post. This is the BEST DEVILS FOOD CAKE! And to answer the question about using the coffee, DEFFINATELY use the coffee, it gives that distinctive flavor that distinguishes Devils Food cake from other chocolate cakes. Enjoy

Folks need to take note that the recipe should be 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, as Dymnyno has stated in her post.

Folks need to take note that the recipe should be 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, as Dymnyno has stated in her post.

oh my oh my oh my!! this cake looks moist and rich and a chocolate lovers heaven...ME!

I've made this in a regular cake pan as is and with a teaspoon ground cardamom. Amazing both times, needs nothing but a sprinkle of powdered sugar and maybe whipped cream if you want to go overboard. And so easy! I made it today with my baby on my hip, and I got to feel like an real grown up when I enjoyed slice after dinner.

I made this cake last week, and though I am generally skeptical of cakes made with vegetable oil instead of butter (because of texture and flavor issues), we really loved the results. Some things of note: I halved the sugar and thought it was perfect, I used good-quality natural cocoa and it turned out rich and delicious, and after reading some of the previous comments, I was expecting a fairly low cake, but it actually turned out pretty fluffy and high, nearly reaching the top of my deep tube pan. This isn't too surprising in retrospect, as there are a lot of leavening agents in the batter and beating it for five minutes before pouring it into the pan introduces a lot of air. The cake was so moist, it absorbed the powdered sugar on top about three minutes after I dusted it on! Definitely don't skip the coffee; you can't taste it specifically but it adds a lot of depth of flavor. Highly recommended for a quick chocolate cake!

Can you do this without coffee?

Can I use a bundt cake pan with a design?

marianadig, some coffee flavoring deepens and compliments the chocolate flavor in cakes. I love coffee but I hate it in sweet flavor things. I've made this cake and can't detect any coffee flavor, it just blends in. But you could just use hot water. In future, best way to ask a question is not to put it in the comments, put it in the question section and it shows up on the hotline so more people will see it.

I don't like coffee... Can you really taste it? Does it affect the result if I take it away?

this cake is good for being easy and with a result that is moist and dense. but for me it is not chocolatey enough. i made an extra choco ganache to sweeten and intense the choco flavor. good recipe for something quick, but i wouldnt say 'wow' to it.

I made this cake this weekend and love it! I followed the recipe exactly (except I used 1 cup of whole buttermilk and baked it in a 10 inch tube pan)) and it was delicious. The powdered sugar got absorbed by the next morning but that was no big deal. It took me longer than 15 minutes to get it in the oven (including preparing the pan and making the coffee, etc.). This is definitely my new go-to chocolate cake. Thank you for sharing it!

I want to make this nondairy....I usually use soy milk, but how does that translate to sour milk?

Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe! This also works well for a gluten-free substitution. We used brown rice flour, cup for cup, and 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum. It worked great. The texture was not compromised whatsoever, and the brown rice flour yielded a slightly nuttier flavor. The strong flavors of the the chocolate and coffee work well to mask any "off" tastes that the gluten free ingredients may impart. Overall a fantastic recipe, gluten-free or not!

Made tonight with great success. My husband asked for a dark, rich chocolate cake. Used 1/2C coffee and 1/2C water, buttermilk for the sour milk. Worked out beautifully. Baked up right on time. Thanks!
I didn't have any trouble with getting it out of the pan. I butter/flour my absurdly intricate bundt pan (it's nordic ware cathedral bundt pan). I forgot to whip up some cream but it was late and the smalls needed to go to bed. It will be LOVELY in the morning with cream and a cup of tea. Can't wait!

Does Dutch cocoa powder have a shelf life?

can anyone help with the "sour milk" ingredient, I'm a little lost

What a fabulous, simple, speedy every-day cake to whip up! I used Trader Joe's NON-Dutched cocoa and buttermilk and HEAVILY buttered (then sprayed then cinnamon-sugared!) my Bundt pan and baked it for 52 minutes. The batter is exceedingly thin (thanks for the heads-up, other reviewers) but results in a lovely crumb. As the picture indicates, it's not a very statuesque cake but it has character and depth (like many short people I know) and, despite the 2 cups of sugar, is not at all overly sweet; the recipe notes are spot on in labeling this an adult cake. I could see that chocolate chips or chunks would be a nice addition, but the batter is SO thin that I fear they'd just sink. DO be mindful: despite my best efforts at pan prep and hours of cooling, this baby had zero inclination to exit the pan. It took a LOT of thwacking, smacking and praying for it to come out -- but come out it did, and (this was the "praying" part) all in one lovely piece.

Kelsey: Thank you for all of your wonderful, tried and true recipes! I look forward to more of them in the future!

Kelsey: Thank you for all of your wonderful, tried and true recipes! I look forward to more of them in the future!

Kelsey: Thank you for all of your wonderful, tried and true recipes! I look forward to more of them in the future!

Kelsey: Thank you for all of your wonderful, tried and true recipes! I look forward to more of them in the future!

made it last night - love the crumb, but disappointed by the dull chocolate flavor (used valrhona dutched cocoa). maybe i'll try hot water with 70% chocolate melted in and a shot of instant espresso powder next time to bump up the chocolate flavor?

Just made another one...sooooo good!!!!

this has been my go to cake on so many occasions and it never fails to disappoint! My friends and family go out of their minds! I have substituted with different yogurts and have used brown sugar when i was out of sugar and its always outstanding! Bravo!

What a great recipe!

On a whim, I swapped out the buttermilk with raw goat's milk for a friend who is allergic to cow's milk. I also used a little grape seed oil for the pans (I only had 2 8x1-1/2" pans) instead of butter. I didn't do anything to "sour" the goat milk as it was pretty strong in flavor and I was hoping that it would just work. And it did!

The cakes rose beautifully and I got a lot of complements on the flavor and texture. It was very moist and dark - just as described. Personally, I wanted it to be chocolate-ier. For me, no one flavor (coffee or Valrhona cocoa) stood out. It needed a little extra zing. I was thinking of what it would be like with different cocoa or adding Manjari to get more chocolate flavor. (I did add some chips to one cake but they all melted and didn't leave a noticeable flavor behind.) I'm not sure if I can just melt different chocolate in or if I need to reduce some liquid. I guess I was looking for this flavor I made in sorbet using the Manjari: http://www.food52.com/blog/3680_david_lebovitzs_chocolate_sorbet in a cake. (The same friend thought that was the best chocolate sorbet he'd ever tasted!)

I plated the cake on top of strawberry jam we made this spring that hadn't fully set properly. That was a incredible (zing!)! I was thinking raspberry coulis would also complement the cake.

I was surprised how much the kids liked it (even using goat's milk AND without chocolate frosting!).

Time to make another one (or 2) since I still have 1/2 bottle of goat's milk left!

This cake is incredible! I made it for a friend's birthday last week and it was a huge hit. I was a little worried at first since the batter is very runny but after 45 minutes I had an amazing Bundt pan of deliciousness. A chocolate cream cheese frosting (confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, chocolate and butter) completed the cake and with some candles on top it was the perfect birthday cake. As I type this I have another one in the oven - this time for myself :))

I made this on Monday and it was gone by Saturday morning. Seriously two of us plowed thru this super moist delicious cake. Quite a few of my friends want a Bundt pan now.

This cake is SO good that it quickly became one of my favorite cakes of all times! I baked it twice already and I am sure it will be on our table so many more times!

I am devastated! I am ruined! A chocolate cake recipe that comes together so quickly and that is SO good....I made it today, and it is GONE (I didn't eat it all myself, though I could have). I had lots of people for lunch, and they all loved it.

This cake is very simple to put together - next time I will cook it 40 minutes instead of the 45; I think I over baked it a bit. But it was heavenly all by itself (and not too bad doused with some cream I had in the fridge...). Thank you!

I made the cake in a Nordic Ware bundt pan and it looks so beautiful ! So delicious and definitely not too sophisticated for my 10 and 6 year old!

Made it last night and it is basically the same as the Hershey's recipe. I used regular baker's cocoa and soured the milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar (set aside for 20 minutes), added 1 teaspoon cinnamon and used 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar since I was almost out of granulated sugar. Baked 40 minutes. I liked it more then the rest of my family. lt's definitely more of a "mature" cake. Not so much for the kiddos!

Liked it very much, it's dark, moist and not too sweet... That is my reason to serve it with vanilla ice cream. It was a real pleaser.

I made this cake last week to take to a potluck and I keep getting rave reviews! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I may yet become a great cook thanks to the Food 52 recipes especially this one!

I just made this for my Super Bowl party. My only changes were using regular cocoa powder and buttermilk for the sour milk. I cooked it 44 minutes. My son and I had a piece 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven and it is DELISH!!!

since there is baking soda in this recipe, can I substitute regular (ie., Hershey's) not dutch process coca powder?

This cake is absolutely delicious. I used buttermilk. Moist, flavorful, exquisite.

Loved this cake! It was moist, flavorful, and not too sweet. I didn't have a full size bundt cake pan so I used what I had. With one recipe I was able to make 6 mini bundt cakes and 12 cupcakes. I reduced the cooking time to 18-20 minutes and they came out great. Will definitely make again!

I'm happy to add to the chorus of people who have made this and say it's AMAZING. One of the most moist chocolate cakes I've ever made or tasted, and yet not so rich you can't eat more than a bite. Thanks so much for this recipe. I love it.

I made this recently with the buttermilk and served it to company. They loved it. I put half in the refrigerator and it's has stayed moist and delicious almost one week later. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you.

I made this recently with the buttermilk and served it to company. They loved it. I put half in the refrigerator and it's has stayed moist and delicious almost one week later. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you.

Delicious! Very moist and good chocolate flavor.

I couldn't get mine out of the pan but that's just fine.

I made this cake with buttermilk and it turned out as expected. The flavor and texture is very close to another that I have, but the ingredients and measures are a bit different. This is a nice 'snacking cake' that doesn't need icing.

Kelsey, when I baked this fabulous cake, I put the timer on 40 minutes based on some of the comments. When I checked it with a knife, it had a pudding center so I cooked it for 5 more minutes. The knife came out clean and we enjoyed it tremendously. My question is, based on the intro description, is this cake supposed to have a "pudding" center like a lava cake or cooked through? It was delicious as is, but I wanted to know if I messed up!

I made this with my children today. It's a great recipe to make with kids: straightforward, simple and quick. The cake is beautiful, dark and with a generous crumb. It's not a sweet cake as the coffee and baking soda tempers the sugar nicely. A keeper!

This didn't work for me at all. Flavor is amazing, but the cake itself was an oven disaster. First, not knowing what "sour milk" was i subbed buttermilk and the cake essentially exploded and then flattened to a large crusty (yet delicious) cookie.

Tried again with the vinegar, but it didn't work either. granted, when you scoop it warm into a bowl with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries it's still amazing, but i haven't been able to get a slice of anything yet.

n.b., all i had on hand is 2% milk; could that make the difference?

Just had to reiterate how much this cake ROCKS!!!!! I know I will miss the days when my daughter stops calling it chocolate "butt" cake :-(

I made this cake for a friend's birthday party, it was a definitely a crowd pleaser! Thank you so much!

This cake is amazing. I have baked it twice in one week and tomorrow I'm giving it as a present to the nurses on my floor. I used the ingredients exactly as said and baked for 40mins because it was done...It is soooooooooo good!!!

Love love love this cake!

Excellent recipe, I put up a photo that hopefully shows how nice and moist it was. Though am I the only one who thinks it tastes a bit baking-powdery?

I happily join the ranks of cooks who love this cake. I too was a bit worried when i saw how runny the batter was but my concerns were unfounded. This cake is as chocolate-ty and pudding-ey as I had hoped and it will become a permanent member of my cake squad. I love it and can't wait to make it again and again. Thanks for sharing.

This was wonderful and significantly better than the classic Hershey "magic cake." I was very hesitant to have the mixer on medium for 4 minutes after the flour was added, but the gluten was fine and cake stayed tender. I used cake flour instead of all purpose and it was extremely light and moist. The texture is very similar to a cake mix, but the flavor has an authentic home made taste. Fantastic recipe, thanks for sharing.

This looks totally amazing and I can't wait to make it!!

i just made this cake and it was amazing. I made it in a bundt pan (instead of tube) which looked great and I drizzled it with caramel which was also kind of great looking. It was also easier than making brownies.

Kelsey, We love your cake, I made it today, too! I frost mine, like I mentioned before and make it in a sheet pan so my husband can take it covered to the office the next morning... Thank you for the recipe!

Wow, Kelsey - you've really been taking a lot of heat! So sorry about that. For several years, I worked culling through the thousands of entries for a popular, national recipe contest, narrowing down the entries to the top 10 for each state. Many, many people submitted recipes that they truly believed were "Grandma's original" or some other version of a long-followed family recipe. Certainly, most of those entrants could not have known they were entering some form of a published recipe or they wouldn't have done it, knowing they could quickly be disqualified.
Also, you are a regular, "founding" member of the Food52 world and those of us who have tried and enjoyed your recipes appreciate your sophisticated, creative and personal approach to food. I am so glad you share so much of your food personality with us! Thank you for that!
Soooo, the reason I signed on to add a comment is because I made your "plagiarized" (haha!) cake today and it is phenomenal!! I made 4 changes: (1) I used cake flour rather than all-purpose because that's what I had (2) I wanted TWO cakes with the work of one, so I baked the batter in 2 loaf pans, which I greased, lined the bottoms with parchment, greased that - changed the baking time to 40 minutes - came out perfectly (3) because I like to sneak extra nutrition in when I can, I added 1/4 c of wheat germ and, lastly, (4) I cooled the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, finished cooling them on a rack, then poured over this icing while it was still warm: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Icing-101010 Absolutely delicious! :-)

I am glad to read this clarification. I commented about a recipe that I thought was my great aunt's because it was exactly the same ingredients as Kelsey's. Then I reread my notes and realized that they were notes I wrote down about 2 years ago as I watched The Food Network and Ina Garten making the cake. So, it is perfectly legal for me to use EXACTLY her ingredients, just as long as I write down her process in my own words? This is good news because when I concoct a recipe I research to the best of my ability that I am not copying any one's ideas. Watch your back, Thomas Keller!!

For anyone who missed this information from Lastnightsdinner, I think it's helpful to post it again: "Substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, is protected by U.S. Copyright law; a list of ingredients is not." I think home cooks don't know this; I certainly didn't. However, it explains a lot. How many of us have asked someone for a recipe, tried to follow it at home, and been disappointed in the results? It was the missing steps in the directions that made the difference (usually not intentionally. All home cooks have certain things they do without thinking.) Kelsey's directions are unique, thorough, copyrightable & deserving of praise.

Thank you all for your comments -- we're re-posting how we stand on this recipe, which you'll see (way down in the comments) we originally posted 11 months ago. We wanted to make sure it's still clear:

'Here at food52, we want to celebrate recipes and their history. As we note in our “About the Contests” page, recipes often get passed down and the original sources lost. This doesn’t mean that people don’t personalize these recipes, making them their own. The instructions in this recipe are quite different from the Hershey’s recipe, and bear the marks of experience. Recipes are not created out of thin air, but from lots of influences, and we encourage our community to share the stories behind their recipes. Because of the way recipes are shared and passed down, we’re not in favor of public accusations of plagiarism. Obviously, we don’t want plagiarism on the site, and that’s why we have a “Flag” button on every recipe. If you click on this, you can let us know if you’ve seen a recipe before, and this message will be sent directly to Merrill and Amanda, who will look into the situation and handle accordingly. So far, this system has worked very well.'

If you must give credit to any original creator of any recipe, all you need to do is look to the heavens, smile at the chance to eat a wonderful meal from a loving cook as "divine providence" and say a silent "thank you" to all those before us that had a tiny particle of themselves sprinkled into every single recipe out there. Now, can someone make me this cake? I pay retail.....

hello! if i may be so bold, i'd like to interject (and i apologize if i am blunt, but i am a jewish democrat from texas, and therefore known for my sass and volume!): i am an old school food52er, on the scene since practically the beginning, and i am SO proud to be part of this community. i have become close friends with so many of my fellow food52ers, from all over the country, and i've had the pleasure of being welcomed into their homes to cook in their kitchens. this is a very special thing. as food52 has grown we have learned from and grown close to so many new home chefs, but with the growth, i have noticed a certain hostility in some users-- a certain party-pooperness if you will. this behavior is simply unacceptable, as it isn't constructive or helpful in any way. i consider myself an artist, and i believe that my peers (fellow contributors) are beautiful and talented artists as well. that being said, rule number one: FOOD IS LOVE. so keep your hate in your own kitchen, not in ours. also, there are lots of great home cooks at food52, but, i think we can all agree on rule number two: AMANDA AND MERRILL ARE EXPERTS AND THEREFORE THEIR OPINIONS ARE SUPERIOR. THIS MEANS THAT WE TRUST THEM TO RESEARCH, TEST, AND DECIDE WHICH RECIPES ARE WORTHY OF PRAISE. plus, it's their website, and their cookbook, don't you think they know what they want? plainly put, your insolence is disrespectful. and while i do not personally know kelseythenaptimechef (and truthfully, i voted for nannydeb's cake in this contest, because i will vote in anything with ganache), i do know that if A&M decided this was an original recipe, and a delicious one, and it was voted in by the food52 community, than she is a well deserved winner and most certainly does not deserve this appalling behavior. i think the intention was to make kelsey look "lame" but i think the result was quite the opposite. as my name clearly states, i am a nanny, and have made a living and a blog out of teaching children manners, etiquette, and love. it's embarrassing to have to speak to adults in this way, but there you have it. please consider new rules one and two in this comment, as i think they will be helpful.
sincerely, warmest regards, and, as always, happy cooking, helenthenanny

Kelsey - I appreciate your response. However, this is a website that solicits and rewards "original" recipes. This is Food 52's stated policy - "You may only submit recipes that are your own. If your recipe was inspired by another source, that's okay — just tell us how you changed it. We'd love for the inspiration behind your recipes to be part of the conversation. Plagiarism, however, is not encouraged. If you plagiarize, people will call you out and you'll look lame." By your own admission, this was not your own recipe, but rather that of Chef you knew, in that's chef's own handwriting no less. And yet, you chose to submit it here as your own.

The cake is also on Hersey's website. They published it at least 50 years ago as Black Magic Cake. You should have done some research before you submitted as an original recipe. And shame on food 52 for making you a published winner.

This recipe has been around the block for sure! I first used it in 1992 at my very first job in a rinky-dink restaurant in a small town. Definitely good so why not let it make its rounds!!

Unfortunately, this recipe appears verbatim (with 1 teaspoon salt, instead of 1/2 teaspoon) as "Beatty's Chocolate Cake" in Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home, published in 2006.

I have no idea how my brain substituted 1 cup plain yogurt for 1 cup sour/butter milk but holy moly! This was the most sensational chocolate cake I've ever had! I've gone through many chocolate cake recipes searching for my go-to and now I've found it. Incredibly moist, smooth and chocolately. It makes you dream of chocolate cake. I made it last week in a bundt pan and my office friends were in heaven. Then I made it this weekend as cupcakes and they received rave reviews. (350F for 18 minutes)

Kelsey, do you have any suggestions on how to modify this recipe to make a yellow cake? Just omit the cocoa or replace it with flour? And replace the coffee with boiling water per someone else's suggestion?

The promise of a puddingy texture had me itching to try this out. Last night I went at it. I didn't have Dutch process cocoa so I used Trader Joe's organic. I used 1% milk with lemon juice as my sour milk then dumped the more-runny-than-I-expected batter into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. The result? Absolute deliciousness - moist and pudding-like as promised.
I can barely stand to wait to eat the piece that's sitting next to my computer monitor at work, but I must hold off until after lunch.

I just made this cake last night, except that I made it the traditional way with 2 layers and chocolate-coffee frosting. I know that the bundt cake was your idea, but my version from my great aunt is exactly the same ingredients!

Hi I've never used sour milk before, do I strain it after the curds develop or do I pour the milk and the curds when mixing it to make the batter? Also, do I store the finished cake in the fridge or outside? Sorry for all the questions but I want to make it for a friend's birthday and I want it to come out as delicious as it looks here.

Thanks to all for your input.

Great cake! I wonder though if rather than bundt pan this should be called tube pan?

I have been playing with different choco cake recipes for too long...this one is a keeper. I made it with buttermilk instead of sour and Hershey's special dark cocoa, baked it in a quartet bundt pan for 20 minutes. It's glorious! Drizzled with bittersweet choco. I asked a friend to sample it and he couldn't stop eating it. I plan on giving these little cakes to my husband's co-workers for Christmas. Thanks for the awesome cake!

This was deliciously rich and complex. I'll definitely make this again.

I have been using this same recipe for YEARS! I got it from a bakery I used to work at. Funny to see that it is posted here on this site some 16 years later! It's a great recipe and so easy to prepare. Never made it into a Bundt though. Will have to try that.

I halved the recipe and baked it in a 9" pan, and it's delish! i love how intense and not-sweet it is. Also it's so extremely easy to put together :) I'm looking forward to the fudge-like texture it'll develop tomorrow.

Next time i'll try adding some boiled-down stout beer instead of the coffee, that seemed to work really well in intensifying the chocolatey flavor in another chocolate cake recipe.

I made your cake this weekend. Exceptional! I was a few tablespoons short on cocoa powder (w/ no time to run to the store) so I added 3-4 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate. Worked out great. Thanks for sharing!

I made the cake yesterday and do agree that on the second day it's even better! Looks great, tastes great and very easy to make! Thank you, definitely staying in my book.

I made this fabulous cake last night to take to a friend's dinner party. OMG it was fabulous! Looks just like your photo and my husband called it "professional". We served it with a bit of hazelnut ice cream and it was divine. I will make it again and serve it with a glaze, frosting or whipped cream.

We took a little piece home with us, which I just ate along with my breakfast. It is more delicious the second day. Next time I'll bake the cake, frost it, keep in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

THANK YOU!!

Yum cake, we didn't find it party material though. Thanks for sharing.

I made this last weekend and it was the best cake I've ever made. It was also able to withstand a wacky oven temperature and me trying out egg replacer in cake for the first time. It was absolutely delicious, and will definitely form part of my dinner party/holiday repertoire. And I am not even a chocolate lover! Thank you so much for sharing!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the birthday party hosted by iuzzini where she served this cake and wow, it was delicious!

Made this last nite to serve for a birthday party tonite. :) It's delish (so I tasted the bits that got stuck to the top of pan.) Thanks for a great recipe!!! This is going to be my go-to chocolate cake recipe. Thanks!

I was afraid none of my guests had room for dessert after the Moroccan Chicken and Olives recipe on this site (wonderful!) but no one could pass up this delectable cake. Thanks for the instruction about souring milk. This was a fabulous dessert. I made it the day before and it was moist and superb with ginger yogurt. A keeper!

Notes on making the cake.
I used non-dutch process cocoa and a pinch extra of baking soda- it turned out fine. The cake is better the next day- fresh from the oven it still was a bit airy and the next day it settled into a rich, thick velvety texture. Also, the cake isn't that sweet so putting a very generous amount of powdered sugar is nice.

Wow, this looks FANTASTIC!! I adore chocolate and the cake looks so moist and delicious.

Joining the chorus of positive reviews, I have to say that this cake is *excellent*. Although, I have to say that when I dusted my cake with the powdered sugar, it was completely absorbed since it was still a little warm. Oops. Still rich as sin, though. Two definite thumbs up!

Hi Kelsey, I made this into cupcakes with butterflies (from Annies-eats, though mine weren't quite as pretty as hers...) and they were a huge hit. The recipe worked well made into cupcakes baking them for about 12-15 minutes. Thanks!

Made this for a labor day event. It went in seconds.

what's sour milk?

This is fantastically delicious. Easy, too. The batter seemed very thin, but I don't make cakes enough to know if that's normal. Thin or no, the batter turned into a beautiful and tasty cake that has been getting raves from my children and grandchildren, who join me in thanking you for the recipe.
P.S. I used a simple buttermilk/powdered sugar frosting that works beautifully.

Excellent! I ate it for breakfast!

I made this cake last weekend and I was thrilled when it looked like the picture ( which is what seduced me in the first place). It was a big hit!

I would recommend making it the day before - it was even more moist and delicious on day 2 and 3 (I wrapped it up and stored it in the fridge)

All I can say is Yummmm! Kids love it, adults love it, I made it twice in one week toward the end of school for various occasions.....I've never seen cake disappear SO quickly!!

Hi Kelsey, I was MIA from this site for a short time and missed this cake...YUM, can't wait to get the opportunity to make it!

Just to add to the general chorus...made this last night, and it was dark and luscious chocolate goodness. Could not believe how incredibly easy it was. The texture is outstanding, soft and melts in the mouth.

I made this for a friend's birthday and iced it with Amanda's sour cream--chocolate icing from her chocolate dump-it cake. It was amazing and special with the icing (although it is wonderful without, too)!

I've made this twice now (the latest cake is in the oven as I type) and I just wanted to add two things. First, it is incredibly moist and delicious! Second, my bundt pan (which has two parts) leaks during the initial 10 minutes of baking as the batter is very liquidy. I recommend placing a cookie on the lower rack to catch the drips.

I made this this week for a friend's birthday and it got rave reviews. I used a cup of whole yogurt instead of buttermilk; it seemed to work fine. i think next time I might scatter some chopped dark chocolate on top of the batter before it goes in the oven. Thanks for the recipe!

Hi! I'm thinking of making this for my college grad party. 2 questions: to frost or not to frost? And what is a light frosting or glaze you've used that you recommend, ifa ny?
And secondly, is the recipe adaptable for a regular cake size pan, in the case that I want to frost and write on it?

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful, delicious cake! I've made it three times since I first came across the recipe 2 months ago. I plan on making it for my own birthday cake! I love how dark and moist the cake is, without being achingly sweet. Keep up the excellent cooking!

I was sucked in by the picture but then I read the recipe and realized how similar it is to a cake I grew up on - only that recipe has no eggs! My recipe came from the 1973 American Heart Association cookbook and it has been made so many times the book naturally opens to the page - cocoa spatters and all! The name of that recipe is Black Devil's Food Cake and has similar amounts of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cooking oil, buttermilk and coffee. It has salt and baking soda but no baking powder and no eggs! The mixture is extremely soupy, as the last step is to pour boiling coffee over the top of the cake batter, but the baked cake is wonderful! It's very moist and has great mouth feel. My family has made it for all of our birthdays since 1973! And today even my kids like it.

I can't wait to give this one a try to see how it compares. I'm thinking it will be a little less moist but I'll have to find out!

I accidently submitted a recipe that was on a can of condensed milk (first time using condensed milk) that I thought was my mother's original recipe...I was sooo embarrassed and luckily immediately removed it soon after submittal. I google and do everything I can to make sure that I am not submiting anything that is close to another recipe!

Great cake, but I've been making it for years...

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754&page=1&per=25&keyword=black%20magic&omnituresearch=true&rectypecat=

Sadly, just finished the last slice of this cake. It was ridiculously tasty (with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped cream). Thanks for a great recipe!

I made this cake, finally, this weekend and it was a fantastic success (especially two days later with a dollop of coffee ice cream). Thanks for the recipe!

I couldn't find any dutch processed cocoa- can I substitute natural, unsweetened cocoa powder and then should I leave out the baking powder and baking soda?

I was so excited to see this recipe that I went out and bought a bundt pan so I could make it. A Valentine's day present to myself! I do plan on sharing the cake, however.

Nice bundt! I made this for friends last night and it was so perfectly moist and chocolaty. Will definitely make again.

Congratulations Kelsey! This looks really fantastic.

Congrats! Looks like you are making a clean sweep of all the sweet contests. :-)

Congratulations, Kelsey! The cake looks beautiful (your photography too) and I can't wait to make this for my family. They're going to love it!

Congratulations, Kelsey! Brava! I love the cake, love you for entering it here on Food52... despite the gazillion extra calories in my week. This recipe's gonna get a lot of mileage.

Congrats!

Delicious - great flavor and texture. Wonder if it will be even better tomorrow..... it took more like 30 minutes to make batter, but it was worth it. is buttermilk a reasonable substitute for sour milk? and have you ever added some semi-sweet choc chips for texture.
thanks for a great bundt cake for chocolate lovers!

YES! You did it! Well done, congratulations! It's a terrific recipe of which I have become a fan! Really really good. Well done Kelsey, I am very happy for you, you really deserve it!

Congratulations! It's a delicious cake!

Kelsey - congratulations! Wonderful recipe!

This cake sounds divine. MUST try. Have you tried it as a layer cake or just as a bundt? Either way, it really sounds good. VERY good. Happy to vote for it.

I made this cake yesterday with soy milk because it was all I had in the house and it turned out great. I added a little lemon juice and yogurt to sour the soy milk. Yummy and easy although I think I would frost it next time.

Kelsey, I love this recipe. This is really wonderful and I know it will be a hit at the party. I realized that I've never cooked with chocolate before so I was a little apprehensive, but this was easy and quick, and people who don't bake often (me) will be successful!

Kelsey, made your cake on Sunday, it's absolutely delicious. Congratulations!

I've been asked to bring a dessert for a dinner party on Tuesday. I know I will be short on time, so this sounds like it will be perfect. I can't wait to try it.

I did something very wrong in making this cake as it really imploded in the middle and started to spill out the edges. But it tastes really great...I'm eating it straight out of the pan and can't stop!

Am settling in to bake this as Snowpocalypse descends on Washington DC. Will it fuel us through shoveling out from 30" of snow? Stay tuned...And on a practical note, do I have to cool the "freshly brewed coffee" before using it? Guess I'll find out.

Kelsey, This reminds me of a recipe I've made for years as my kids' favorite layered birthday cake, the oil, buttermilk, coffee and gads of cocoa powder making for a moist, rich and delicious chocolate bomb. I'm so happy to now have this scaled down and more "adult" version to try. Thanks!

Kelsey, what I love about this recipe is that it's almost as simple as using a boxed cake mix, but much more delicious.

Kelsey, congratulations, the cake looks super simple and now with Amanda's and Merril's description, I am really tempted to try it this weekend. Well done you.

this is such a versatile cake!I love it! Am assuming you add the sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients....
I ask because my mother in law used to make something similar, but with 1/2 c butter instead of oil and boiling water instead of coffee. Also in hers there was no baking powder. She'd cream the butter,sugar,eggs and vanilla first, then add cocoa, salt, flour and sour milk( she used vinegar like you do). When all of the above was well blended she'd add the 1c boiling water to which the baking soda had been added. She baked hers in a 9x12 pan and frosted with cream cheese frosting once cooled.It wasn't as pretty as yours but easy to cover or transport to a picnic etc...

Such a great rainy day cake! and it just happens to be raining here..hmmm!

Kelsey - This is just beautiful. I can't wait to try it this weekend. (A perfect snowstorm cake!)

This looks super easy and delicious with the coffee. 2 cups of sugar??? Does that mean this is super sweet or does that amount offset the amount of coffee that's in here? I'm really curious to try this out in my springform pan...no bundt pan in the house.

I'm going to try your recipe this weekend! Yum!

Congratulations, Kelsey, this is a lovely recipe!

Congrats on making the finals. I had a feeling when I saw this entry... good things were in store. Good luck! I know I'll be baking this soon. I have another cake recipe that uses coffee to boost the flavor, and it's yummy. With A&M's stamp of approval, I'm sure this one is fabulous.

Looks incredibly delicious. You'd think I'd be tired of chocolate a marathon week of testing them for my husband's birthday cake, but that's not the case!

yum. this looks like a winner Kelsey!

Kelsey, waht a brilliant cake. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Oh, sounds lovely. My mom and I used to make a similar cake when I was growing up, except we added chocolate chips to the batter and left the top plain. Loved that cake!

How about using buttermilk? I love the simplicity of this cake. It's elegant and not too sweet. Might have to bake one today!

I think the sour milk interacts with the baking soda and helps with the levening. I have made many a chocolate cakes, searching fruitlessly with the perfect recipe and I have to say this one looks pretty fabulous. Can you use buttermilk? Too bad all you can find these days is the skim kind. Ick.

What is sour milk? Is it milk gone bad or milk with lemon in it? If it is the former do you leave it out of the fridge???

Wow, Kelsey, that looks gorgeous.